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week 7
WEEK 7
!getting to the bridge
This week’s main task will be crossing the very famous Golden Gate Bridge to get to a specific bay on the northern end of it. Getting there from the wharf seems like a short trek — deceivingly so. There’s a high volume of abandoned cars on the way there, which makes traveling along the roads a very slow task, indeed.
Inside the cars, there are occasional remains to be found inside, belonging to people who seemingly just starved due to inability of getting out of the city. From the looks of things, maybe when all this started, a lot of people were trying to flee north. Inside the cars, there are actually a number of usable things: spare guns, bullets, stale processed food still in bags, et cetera. You’ll just have to steal from these people who never stood a chance.
Further north, towards the mouth of the bridge, the congestion only worsens. Debris from car accidents, seemingly from people trying to zip around one another, makes traversing the terrain as one group impossible. The party will need to clear some of this debris in order to make it onto the main part of the bridge — preferably in pairs, with one person moving and one person on zombie watch. Upon closer inspection, there are zombies of the crash survivors still among this debris, who have been pinned in the same place for years….
Worse yet, all the noise as you all approach the bridge will begin to draw hordes from the city. Not just any regular sized horde, but a massive one, similar to the kinds that had roamed Los Angeles; hundreds, maybe thousands of undead. The group will quickly become overwhelmed if they do not find a path to squeeze through the debris before the hordes get to them; they can try their luck darting through and over crashed cars, but it’ll be a rushed and panic-inducing escape. Some may find it wiser to try to fight… but those that do will eventually become overwhelmed themselves.
Puppy and Ninety-Nine, who stay back to fight the threat, are eventually overwhelmed and consumed.
The only good news is that the horde cannot make it through the huge pile up as well as the party did; their rushed movements mean that they hinder each other in squeezing through the small spaces required of them. A steady trickle of undead will come from behind from the stopgap, rather than a rush.
Inside the cars, there are occasional remains to be found inside, belonging to people who seemingly just starved due to inability of getting out of the city. From the looks of things, maybe when all this started, a lot of people were trying to flee north. Inside the cars, there are actually a number of usable things: spare guns, bullets, stale processed food still in bags, et cetera. You’ll just have to steal from these people who never stood a chance.
Further north, towards the mouth of the bridge, the congestion only worsens. Debris from car accidents, seemingly from people trying to zip around one another, makes traversing the terrain as one group impossible. The party will need to clear some of this debris in order to make it onto the main part of the bridge — preferably in pairs, with one person moving and one person on zombie watch. Upon closer inspection, there are zombies of the crash survivors still among this debris, who have been pinned in the same place for years….
Worse yet, all the noise as you all approach the bridge will begin to draw hordes from the city. Not just any regular sized horde, but a massive one, similar to the kinds that had roamed Los Angeles; hundreds, maybe thousands of undead. The group will quickly become overwhelmed if they do not find a path to squeeze through the debris before the hordes get to them; they can try their luck darting through and over crashed cars, but it’ll be a rushed and panic-inducing escape. Some may find it wiser to try to fight… but those that do will eventually become overwhelmed themselves.
Puppy and Ninety-Nine, who stay back to fight the threat, are eventually overwhelmed and consumed.
The only good news is that the horde cannot make it through the huge pile up as well as the party did; their rushed movements mean that they hinder each other in squeezing through the small spaces required of them. A steady trickle of undead will come from behind from the stopgap, rather than a rush.
crossing the bridge
The main body of the bridge is clearer in terms of cars… but treacherous in other ways. The lack of maintenance and constant weight on the bridge over the years has worsened the swaying that occurs when winds from the bay blow over — it never feels truly stable, as the group traverses ahead. The ongoing rampage on the southern end of the bridge isn’t helping, either, as more and more weight tries to come on to the bridge.
Of the abandoned cars that are on the main part of the bridge, some of them have lost the ability to stay parked, and thus roll with the movement of the people on it and the wind.
Hella is hit by one of these rolling cars. Satoru Gojo loses their balance, and is nearly thrown off the side from the swaying.
The zombies that are trapped on the bridge do not often see humans, as there have not been people traversing the bridge in such a long time: it makes them less coordinated than the zombies that have adapted to the city, and less fast. It’s the obstacle course of debris and the unstable terrain that makes evading these ones hard, not their speed or hyper aggression. As Puppy and Ninety-Nine fight from behind, there are a few city zombies that make it through to advance from the rear steadily in pursuit. Some of them may be holding things they could have torn from Puppy and Ninety-Nine’s inventory (or body...), so there are a mix of threats.
Thanks to Puppy and Ninety-Nine’s sacrifice, only Sigewinne is infected.
Towards the end of the bridge crossing, the steel cables high up above start to creak menacingly. That’s right: the bridge is starting to collapse. Concrete crumbles, and metal bends — the only mercy the group is afforded is the collapse starts from the southern end, where the massive horde was. However, pieces of bridge and thick cable still fall from the sky indiscriminately, footing becomes even more perilous than previously seen, requiring characters to take risky jumps to survive at times.
In the final sprint to the end of the bridge, Vinsmoke Reiju is pinned under a falling beam, rendering them temporarily immobile in the panic.
Of the abandoned cars that are on the main part of the bridge, some of them have lost the ability to stay parked, and thus roll with the movement of the people on it and the wind.
Hella is hit by one of these rolling cars. Satoru Gojo loses their balance, and is nearly thrown off the side from the swaying.
The zombies that are trapped on the bridge do not often see humans, as there have not been people traversing the bridge in such a long time: it makes them less coordinated than the zombies that have adapted to the city, and less fast. It’s the obstacle course of debris and the unstable terrain that makes evading these ones hard, not their speed or hyper aggression. As Puppy and Ninety-Nine fight from behind, there are a few city zombies that make it through to advance from the rear steadily in pursuit. Some of them may be holding things they could have torn from Puppy and Ninety-Nine’s inventory (or body...), so there are a mix of threats.
Thanks to Puppy and Ninety-Nine’s sacrifice, only Sigewinne is infected.
Towards the end of the bridge crossing, the steel cables high up above start to creak menacingly. That’s right: the bridge is starting to collapse. Concrete crumbles, and metal bends — the only mercy the group is afforded is the collapse starts from the southern end, where the massive horde was. However, pieces of bridge and thick cable still fall from the sky indiscriminately, footing becomes even more perilous than previously seen, requiring characters to take risky jumps to survive at times.
In the final sprint to the end of the bridge, Vinsmoke Reiju is pinned under a falling beam, rendering them temporarily immobile in the panic.
the other side
With the bridge collapsed, and many losses on their hands, the group may be relieved to find that the northern end of the bridge seems… quiet. Almost eerily quiet. While context clues seemed to point to the fact that not many zombies have made it past the bridge, it’s another thing entirely to see it.
North of the city is full of what used to be nature conservatories and national parks, meaning that the terrain is oddly serene and beautiful compared to the terrifying perils of the bridge. Make your way down to the bay you’ve been led to, and check the map: your final destination is an island. It’s called ‘Alcatraz,’ whatever that means…
Wild crabs, fish, and birds are in abundance here, and none seem to be infected.
There are also a number of abandoned boats on the rocky shore, some manually operated and others with engines. It might be time to look for something that can fit all of you, and practice operating them. When night falls, the sky is clear and full of stars — look closely, and you'll see shooting stars here and there, twinkling against the sea of darkness. If only you'd have been able to make a wish earlier, right...?
Once you’ve had time to recover, it’ll finally be time to see where it is this doctor has led you all.
North of the city is full of what used to be nature conservatories and national parks, meaning that the terrain is oddly serene and beautiful compared to the terrifying perils of the bridge. Make your way down to the bay you’ve been led to, and check the map: your final destination is an island. It’s called ‘Alcatraz,’ whatever that means…
Wild crabs, fish, and birds are in abundance here, and none seem to be infected.
There are also a number of abandoned boats on the rocky shore, some manually operated and others with engines. It might be time to look for something that can fit all of you, and practice operating them. When night falls, the sky is clear and full of stars — look closely, and you'll see shooting stars here and there, twinkling against the sea of darkness. If only you'd have been able to make a wish earlier, right...?
Once you’ve had time to recover, it’ll finally be time to see where it is this doctor has led you all.
no subject
But she looks at Leon now, at how he seems like he's fraying, and she remembers a hand on her towel-covered head. Her gaze lowers to the flowers. ]
At least, what suits how I regard you. If you'd be willing to hear me out.
no subject
She made it off of the bridge, and thanks to her presence there so had the boy that had wanted to leave behind the "liabilities". He's not sorry for anything he said, even if he is sorry for the look she's giving him now.
His own gaze drifts off to the flowers, ears starting to tilt back as he hums out a wordless agreement at first. He wonders if he even wants to know, but he doubts Haru will be handing him a pile of weeds to express displeasure with him right now. ]
I don't know much about flowers myself, so you'll have to explain what you mean by them.
here is where I pretend all these flowers grow in California--
[ Haru reaches down, plucking a small, purple bell-shaped flower and presents it to him. ]
This is a Canterbury Bell. Most flowers represent a variety of things, and that will differ even depending on the country, but to me, they represent gratitude and a sense of constancy. Someone reliable that one can place one's faith in. Despite the... cruel implications I made, you have never been anything but straightforward with me and you're not only a stalwart and reliable comrade in a fight, you're someone I enjoy spending time with. I trust your opinion.
[ A breath. ]
Hydrangeas, where I'm from, are more suitable for an apology flower, but I'm afraid they aren't so easily found here.
We're in a fantasy world with zombies. They could!!
Canterbury Bell. It's nicer than he was expecting given their last exchange. He realizes that they had a few weeks prior of him not being a jackass as he did his best to keep pushing forward, and given a lot of personal baggage, reliable and worth putting trust in is about the highest compliment he could be paid.
But then she keeps going, and his ears perk up while his eyes go wide.
Wait wait wait-- ]
Hold on a second. You're apologizing to me?
[ Leontuzzo genuinely looks at a loss here, like this is not at all how he expected this conversation to go down. ]
no subject
[ Congratulations, now we have two of them looking confused! Haru pauses, then speaks carefully. ]
The implication, of anyone who ought to be left behind if they were at risk of slowing down the group... I didn't consider anyone a burden, but I realize how that would have sounded. And we didn't have an opportunity to talk, between then and now, but I didn't like the thought that I might have hurt or offended you.
[ She'd honestly been a little surprised he'd approached her now. ]
no subject
I said it so that you would stop offering yourself up as zombie bait.
[ He hadn't cared in the slightest that her comment might have been applicable to him. It just worked in his favor that he could spin it back on her.
He thought....... He thought that was obvious?? ]
no subject
[ clearly it was not obvious. Or Haru missed it entirely, which is definitely possible. ]
But you--I didn't--
[ ???????? ]
You're truly not upset with me?
no subject
Still...
Unbelievable... ]
I was upset you were trying to toss yourself aside like you didn't matter.
[ These self-sacrificing types are something else. Really. ]
no subject
... So the apology still stands. [ With a rueful twist of her mouth. ]
I'm sorry. I think with the stress and the constant losses, I was so desperate not to lose anyone else that the idea of it... made me panic and act irrationally. And when Gojo-kun said what he did, I thought if that's how it was going to be, the least I could do was prevent that.
[ She lowers her head. ]
I know that was wrong now.
Googles what flowers grow on Alcatraz, and hopes I'm not being lied to
Leon hesitates for a moment, before lowering himself to sit in the flowers with Haru. Maybe there is more of a talk needed still. ]
And if you had listened to him, the idiot would be dead right now.
[ He's looking at the flowers carefully right now. None of them mean much to him, so he can't really offer a return apology flower, or a even a proper thank you one for her admission right now.
So he plucks one at random. He has absolutely no way of knowing that ironically he just picked a flower called Lupine that he's holding out to Haru now. ]
I have absolutely no idea what this one means, but it's pretty. It suits you.
We're both going through it
Y-you're too kind, Leon. [ Help her. ]
Ah, but this is lupine! It represents imagination and happiness. It truly is lovely, isn't it?
flowers hard
Huh... ]
Lupine?
[ Well that's extra fitting in that case. ]
It is that. Imagination and happiness though... Flowers really do have some nice meanings behind them.
[ He rests his hand on the ground behind him, relaxing back, settling into the moment while trying to shield out the ones that came before it for a second. Though he can't entirely pretend that none of it has happened. ]
In that case, I hope it also offers you some of both as well.
[ They are almost at the end of their journey here. Maybe, just maybe they can get through this without any more incidents...
He can only hope. ]
no subject
I think it will. [ With a fonder smile at the flower, that tension from earlier slipping right of her. ] If I take it with me, I should be able to press and preserve it.
With everything we've seen and been through, something this peaceful almost feels like it's out of place. But it's also a good time to collect ourselves too, I think. You... haven't really had much time to rest, have you?
no subject
Pressing the flowers though, it's a nice idea. He's kind of surprised she wants something to remember this world by, but there are people that deserve to be remembered after all of this is done. People that by all rights should be here with them right now. ]
I think I might have had more than most people actually.
[ Given his recent bout with the flu did have him down and out for a couple of days there before they had to get going again. ]
no subject
[ Haru moves a hand in a gesture that would be a nonchalant flap for anyone else, but she's a little too careful with the movement. Too proper. A fluttering wave. ]
... Mentally, and emotionally. Resting the body is highly important, of course, and I understand that quite well...
[ Given that she'd really spent so much time unconscious from the time of Bear to the time she'd woken up in the lighthouse. ]
But I also believe there's something to be said about having a reprieve for your thoughts, as well. Even if those opportunities are rare.
no subject
That another member of their party isn't now harboring infection once more.
But they couldn't really pretend for long. It's not something they can get true reprieve from yet. ]
In another couple of weeks I'll have it.
[ He opens his eyes again, and offers her a smile, one of his wry ones that feels more pained than anything. ]
We're almost done with this, aren't we?
[ Alright, Mark. He'll give your optimism a go right at the end here, as hollow as it currently feels. ]
no subject
Were any of them prepared, really?
She'd offered Leon a hand before, but this time, she only hesitates for a few seconds before she reaches out and rests her hand on top of his. ]
We've made it this far. And what we've lost only makes me feel heavier, not lighter. But I want to bring this to an end. So in another couple of weeks, I'll be holding you to that reprieve.
no subject
It's a lot worse than that. It makes the prospect of developing Oripathy seem almost pleasant in comparison, because as slow and painful as that disease gets, at least you don't completely become a mindless monster by the end of it.
He's still for a moment, feeling the warmth of her hand rest on top of his, because he shifts his hand under hers, turning it around so his palm rests against hers, and he can lightly curl his fingers over her hand. ]
Then I guess I have no choice but to make sure you get it.
[ If they're lucky (and they will be), there won't be any more zombies to fight now that they've made in this far, but if they're not, he will take responsibility for the fact that he did bully Haru into continuing on. One way or another, he'll get her to the end of this. ]
no subject
So she's fine with this.
Though he also surprises a laugh out of her, as she shakes her head. ]
I meant for you! I suppose it's only fair to say it's for all of us.
[ He can get her to the end of it, and she can bring him right along with her.
They'll be all right. ]
no subject
Leon lets out a small huff of laughter himself. Really, he should have expected it considering how self-sacrificing she's been willing to be. Thinking about others over herself, though at least she's ready to include herself in it this time. ]
For all of us then.
[ For all of them that are still alive and able to rest, though he won't say that part. ]